[Updated] Current TV gets hot with Keith Olbermann hire

Keith Olbermann announced Tuesday he will host a new nightly news and commentary show on Current TV -- the liberal public affairs network co-founded by Al Gore and Joel Hyatt.

Additionally, Olbermann will serve as the company's Chief News Officer.

"Nothing is more vital to a free America than a free media and nothing is more vital to my concept of a free media than news produced independently of corporate interference," Olbermann said at the top of Tuesday's phone conference call with the press.

Olbermann abruptly exited MSNBC in January in the midst of his contract with the NBC Universal-owned cable news net; neither party will discuss details of that exit but it was presumed Olbermann would be barred from returning to TV for some period.

Olbermann will, in fact, be able to return to TV late this spring in a primetime one-hour show airing each weekday, former vice president Gore announced during the phone news conference.

Olbermann, smelling trouble when someone on the conference call asked about a report he'd left MSNBC with the basics of this Current TV deal in place, jumped in quickly and said, firmly, "everything you see here is because of events that began Saturday, Jan. 22 of this year." Olbermann left MSNBC on Jan. 21.

Being Chief News Officer means Olbermann will provide editorial guidance for Current TV's primetime slate, which will be overhauled to better complement Olbermann's new show; he will exec produce other programming for the primetime lineup. Everyone Current TV-related on the call declined to discuss any other plans for the overhauled primetime slate.

Asked about the wisdom of switching from the more established MSNBC to Current, Gore noted that when Olbermann returned to MSNBC in spring of 2003, it had around 58 million domestic subscribers, whereas Current currently has 60 million domestic subs and a total of 75 million worldwide.

Olbermann said his as yet unnamed new show "will be for all intents and purposes an improved and amplified and stronger version of the show I just did at [MSNBC]."

Asked if he planned to migrate his Worst Person in the World segment from "Countdown" to his new show, Olbermann said he planned to do something similar because "calling people out is, well, part of my DNA" but added that "that phrase - worst person in the world -- was unfortunately...deliberately, by some of the recipients of the honor, taken too seriously" so the name would be different.

One reporter asked Olbermann whether he thought he was advertiser friendly and to name advertisers who liked his program. Olbermann demured, but Gore jumped in and began to rattle off the names of blue-chip advertisers already buying time on Current TV and added that he was looking forward to speaking with the advertisers who had demonstrated over the years their endorsement of Olbermann's various shows as being advertiser friendly. That seemed to put an end to that line of talk.

In Current TV, Olbermann said, the founders have "created the model truth-seeking entity," calling it "truly the most exciting venture in my career."

The network is distributed in more than 75 million households around the world.

In addition to executive producing and hosting the new nightly primetime news and commentary show, Olbermann will also serve as the company's Chief News Officer and will have an equity stake in Current Media.

Although I don't always agree with Olbermann, I enjoyed Countdown and found that he often made a lot of good points while on MSNBC. The biggest flaw in his commentary was his bombastic tendency to reach too far, taking a legitimate point of concern or act of hypocrisy and equating it with the absolute destruction of the American political system. Unfortunately, this would undermine his credibility when he was highlighting real flaws in the conservative approach to governance. I can't imagine giving him free reign on a network no one has heard of will do much to reign in that annoying tendency.

Olberman + Gore, the entertainment value should be priceless. How will we know that these two crackpots are looney, they just open their mouths. Two Bush haters in the same room together, maybe they will reach critical mass and their heads will explode.

Olbermann and Gore...together !! Get Michael Moore on board and Current is good to go...How long will it take for Keith to start abusing the help and being asked to leave...But these two guys deserve one another...MSNBC's ratings and where this guy ended up show the state of the Progressive movement today...They are being swalled up by Fox.. Comcast will make other changes in that nightly group soon. You can't manage a network and have your prime time hosts beaten out by a 3 or 4 times greater audience at Fox..You buy a network to improve it not maintaining a losing status quo !!.

Olbermann will force faster and better changes at MSNBC, which will lose the lefties to the leading producer of hate speech talking points. Gore's self-serving lies will find less support at MSNBC and CNN as a result of this move, I'm thinking.

I can see it now - O'Reilly has the President as a guest - Olbermann will have "Skippy, the water skiing Squirrel" as his top guest - HAHAHAHAHA! Current TV....he would do better just to go on Youtube.

That show should be a real ratings bonanza. Who or what is a Current TV channel? ROFLMAO. We need to keep people like Keith out in the public so people understand what a progressive looks and sounds like.

I can't wait!!! It matters not if the show if left or right, at the end of the day Keith spoke about fraud and injustice...on both sides. Media should be free to tell the truth, not just whats in the best interest of the people reporting. GO KO

"Learn to spell before posting.
Olbermann and Gore. A perfect storm of left wing fools. Fortunaitly no one will be watching."

I like Keith a lot. I'm sure he will do well anywhere. Somebody made an earlier post unkindly suggesting that Keith would be better off on YouTube.

The truth of the matter is that he would be. His posts there would be greeted with a response so substantial, that he would be far and away one of the most important voices nationally and internationally. He'd be Walter Winchell on nuclear steroids. And he wouldn't have a boss. He'd make a zillion for speaking gigs and he'd write a mega book every eighteen months.

As his viewing audience disappears into the sunset, from millions on ESPN, to hundreds of thousands on MSNBC, to MAYBE tens of thousands on current TV. Lindsay Lohan could take career destruction lessons from Olbermann!

I don't know either, however Mr Keith Olbermann, the former Host on Countdown "NBC"
was always accurate in his journalistic facts on par with Tim Russert. If he made journalistic inaccuracy He always acknowledge his mistakes which were not many.

I for one will tune in to Current TV to get
my daily dose of Olbermann's intellectual views.

I like Keith a lot. I'm sure he will do well anywhere. Somebody made an earlier post unkindly suggesting that Keith would be better off on YouTube.

The truth of the matter is that he would be. His posts there would be greeted with a response so substantial, that he would be far and away one of the most important voices nationally and internationally. He'd be Walter Winchell on nuclear steroids. And he wouldn't have a boss. He'd make a zillion for speaking gigs and he'd write a mega book every eighteen months.
---------------------------------------------

...or people would occasionally view him on Youtube when they hear of a particular gruesome Olbermann meltdown just for Yuks and giggles.....which is what people did when he was on MSNBC.

Olbermann could also become the first person fired from Youtube....I don't know how that could happen, but I'm sure wasked-out Kieth could find a way!

The posters on here who say he always told the truth and they listened to him to get the facts - did you all ever check him out? Did you do your research and make sure he was telling you the truth? No, you just believed him. We have alot of uneducated fools in this country!!

Anyone who would connect themselves to a liar like Al Gore is not one we should go to for information. Frankly, I have never heard of Current TV and will not pursue it since Gore is connected. What a fat loser!!

the ball lickers who seem to dominate the old line media like wapo are out in force today. why are you all so afraid of gore and keith? keep watching your rupert murdoch bs and reading the parochial post. the rest of us will get our news from the best sports and newscaster of our times. keith, welcome back my brother. you have been sorely missed.

the washington post should be proud of its incoherent and barely literate readership as evidenced by the comments to most of its stories. can you say scary stupid? how about some more derisive comments about that "man" rachel maddow. real classy.

Is this a neighborhood station?!?!? :-)
At least geef doberman will be working under the correct flag.
And algore can reinforce his kingship of "Bad Ideas"
Problem is al is playing with our money!!
BTW - "quick exit" means "fired" in realworld speak! :-)

I love that the vast majority of comments here are from the conservative freak show. I love it, all this means is that Keith is winning this battle, hands down. How would they all know this much about him unless they are watching! Keep it coming Keith, the more you expose the FOX halfwits, the better for us all. BTW did anyone watch the Obama interview with O'Reilly? Mr. O'Reilly really needs to throw in the towel. I was embarrassed for him. That interview was all about Bill, Obama didn't even need to be there. Bill has got to be one of the most useless people on TV, besides Hannity, Beck, I could go on.

Never heared of Current TV untill yesterday!
Now, I am a subscriber!!
Where Keith Olbermann goes so do I and millions like me!!!

Go get them, Keith. We are behind ya!

Posted by: Whispers | February 8, 2011 2:10 PM |

________________________________________

Whispers, Olberman didn't have "millions" watching him at MSNBC. Millions don't watch the entire network let alone one show. There aren't "millions" like you, thank the Lord. He will have even less now.

Who ever heard of Current TV, other than as a footnote to the ridiculous career of Gore, anyway?

The "right" is hateful of K.O. because he speaks the truth. His show was always, and I mean always backed by facts. In comparison, a recent study done about Fox News found that their "cable guys" had an accuracy rate of around 10%. Much worse, their owner didn't care, because he knows that unintelligent people believe what they hear on Fox. Meanwhile, the Fox boys are laughing all the way to the bank. WE NEED KEITH.

I don't know either, however Mr Keith Olbermann, the former Host on Countdown "NBC"
was always accurate in his journalistic facts on par with Tim Russert. If he made journalistic inaccuracy He always acknowledge his mistakes which were not many.

I for one will tune in to Current TV to get
my daily dose of Olbermann's intellectual views.

Posted by: wave06

============================================

Olbermann a journalist on par with Tim Russert?!? Acknowledges his mistakes?!?

If Olbermann was committed to his liberal causes, he would have pitched Fox on a liberal show where he could at least build an audience.

Right now, he's going to a network that will have essentially no viewers, and no chance at getting any viewers. At MSNBC, he had a few thousand viewers, now? I'll bet even Al Gore turns him off after the first week.

Sound like his liberalism is writing checks that reality won't let him cash.

Olbermann was NOT a cash cow. He had the highest ratings at the lowest rated network. Meanwhile the other networks wiped the floor with him. Looking at it from the perspective of opportunity costs, KO lost MSNBC money.

Hell , is this any worse than seeing this Nation elect a Boob like Hussein bin Obama ? You'll probably see the same Negro Voters all 98% of them put him in again in 2012 along with the nitwit Female Caucasian College crowd . Of course seeing the field the Republicans will offer gives little hope for anything else happening. After all, the Republicrats have brainwashed American Voters into thinking that to form a 3rd party and to vote for it's candidate is to waste your vote. Look at the last 3 elections and tell me how those who voted for them didn't waste their votes. Or as the old question goes, " Tell me : Do you think you're better off now, than you were then ? " or " Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country " How the Hell much more do I have left to do for my country. How the Hell much do the Kids whose blood runs all over the Middle East have to give to their country ? And with this great leadership, how the Hell can they come home when there's no jobs to come home to. Do you think this may, just may, be a reason for these stupid wars to continue on and on ? As I said, as long as America follows the old Roman rules, wars can go on indefinitely. When the Rich can pay the Poor to send their sons over to fight and die in their son's places , what the Hell do they care.

Olbermann and Gore. A perfect storm of left wing fools. Fortunaitly no one will be watching.

Posted by: jdonner2 | February 8, 2011 11:35 AM | Report abuse

As we can see, the Beck/Limbaugh Tea Party crowd is still on kool aid with a twist of the unknown. Maybe Palin shared some of her "bottled water" from one of her speaking engagements with extra additives to raise their level of unconsciousness.

The bottom line is that having Keith back on TV is what we NEED to bring the truth out and to refute the over the right edge trash talkers from FOX NOISE. And he can call it Worst Persons in the World, because most of them own the title already.

Olbermann was NOT a cash cow. He had the highest ratings at the lowest rated network. Meanwhile the other networks wiped the floor with him. Looking at it from the perspective of opportunity costs, KO lost MSNBC money.

Posted by: HughJassPhD | February 8, 2011 4:20 PM

-

PhD must be in some subject that has nothing to do with empirical reality. The ratings had Olbermann well ahead of CNN in his time slot for some time,and the same with Maddow, etc.

My prayers are answered by God via CURRENT Tv station. We need (and greatly missed) Keith's FAIR AND BALANCED information which allows so many of us to make intelligent and informed decisions. FIX News is probably pulling their faces off with jealousy and sadness that this powerhouse of a real journalist is coming back. MSNBC, eat your hearts out for the mistake you made when you allowed this real journalist to walk out your doors. Keith is such a blessing to so many of us and he may NOT realize it. God has answered my prayers. It is because of Keith's reporting that I now understand politics and the affect it may have on middle class and low income families. Current your ratings are going to go through the roof. God continue to bless Keith in helping us. If CURRENT wants to really set their ratings even higher (if possible) with Keith on the air, they need to make a contract with Rachel Maddow and baby it would be on. FIX News knew their lies would be called out by Keith O and now he is coming back with a vengance, I pray to remind the other analyst how a journalist works. I have NEVER watched CURRENT in fact never heard of this station but I will now and I am so glad DIRECTV includes this channel in my package. GO KEITH O, we have missed you. You are the MAN in the journalism industry.

tsk tsk tsk Dobermen that is what happens to you when you are a vile spewing hater. You are going to need company down in the sewer so please take with you the tingler Chris Matthews, Rachel Madcow for some female/male??? company!!

"Keith's FAIR AND BALANCED information which allows so many of us to make intelligent and informed decisions"

You have no decisions that need making. You go to work, hang out at Starbucks, watch TV and then repeat. On weekends, you go out.

In fact, your life would be the same if Republicans, Democrats, Stalinists, or Satanists were in power.

It angers you that people who you consider beneath you are your boss and/or making significantly more money than you. You likely view this as a flaw in society that your efforts aren't rewarded as much those around you.

When you hear about causes that Al Gore and others like him espouse, you like it because it gives a feeling of control over the world around you, if only for a little while.

Honestly? You'd be better off joining a church where you could hang out with people you'd enjoy hanging out on weekends and evenings. That would be at least constructive, and who knows? You might find Mr. Right there.

You're just making yourself miserable now, and people like Keith Olbermann won't help you do anything more than get more miserable. They're not helping you make decisions, they're not doing anything but depressing you.

Current" TV is akin to local cable access and NOBODY watches "Current TV". Yeah, pretty much like MSNBC when Keith started his Special Comments, and ratings jumped.

My, my, every little wingbutt knows his name, that's obvious. I am one of several hundred thousand loyal Olbermann viewers (that's right, boys -- Olbermann was #2 in his time slot) who will be figuring out the answer to the question "How do I access Current TV?" Its owners couldn't have made a smarter move.

Amazing that Olbermann haters have so many basic facts wrong and seem to be regurgitating Fox and their merry band of invective-throwers. Maybe they should listen to something other than Fox -- anything! -- just to get an idea of what truth sounds like.

I had hoped that the MSNBC Big Mouth would have disappeared into the sea of forgetfulness, but apparently this is not the case. At least in his new venue, his audience will be greatly diminished. And that is a good thing!

I doubt many "hate" Olbermann; I personally find him entertaining in a way that he didn't intend.

I'm sad he's off the air, unfortunately, he's going to a place that nobody will watch him. I would watch him when I was at the gym. I found his frothy mix enough to make the hour I'm running or lifting go a little faster, and I love when the guy who was his sidekick would talk about abortions and get all worked up too.

Honestly, its a shame they broke that team up. I found it continuously entertaining. For me, the perfect Trifecta was when EJ Dionne got on the show and it was like watching a 70's porn tape sans the clichéd music and bad mustaches. EJ would foam even more than Keith's sidekick. It was genius.

Amazing that Olbermann haters have so many basic facts wrong and seem to be regurgitating Fox and their merry band of invective-throwers. Maybe they should listen to something other than Fox -- anything! -- just to get an idea of what truth sounds like.

Posted by: intelligentreader

============================================

The guy is an arrogant jerk who has no underlying principles and has made enemies all over the place-and that's the truth.

I think Keith Olbermann is the man that Al Gore wishes he could be. Expanation: Their idealogies are very similar, but Gore can't "bring it" like Olbermann can. Gore is too stiff and dull. Keith is lively. I'm looking forward to seeing Keith on TV again.

It looks well researched, but I gave up half-way though. I think I prefer the cartoon the guy has made of himself, and reading about him is frankly boring. I find the Kardashian sisters more entertaining and original.

I am very pleased that KO will be back on TV.
I look forward to hearing his take on the events of the day again. I see there are many comments from people who do not like KO. Why would you even bother to post your comments? Why bother reading the article for that matter? It seems you just like to complain and insult people who don't share your views. Go away. You are not wanted here.

Some people sure seem to be afraid of truth. Don't you know 'the truth will set you free'? Free from hate, free from fear and free from posting nasty comments about a great newsman. You know who you are.
For the rest: Keith's back, Yippee!.
Keith is not bombastic, he's passionate. He cares about people. There's not enough of that going around. There never is. Besides that, he has a lot of talent and skill and good research. I miss him every day he's not on. Thank God, it won't be too much longer
Thank you, Lisa for an excellent article.

LOL, ombudsman! " I would watch him when I was at the gym. ... and I love when the guy who was his sidekick would talk about abortions and get all worked up too."

Time to cut back on the steroids, son -- Olbermann had no "sidekick".

And about those ratings:
"Olbermann averaged 1,059,000 viewers in 2Q2010" (http://www.businessinsider.com/quarterly-ratings-keith-olbermann-is-slipping-in-the-key-25-54-age-demographic-2010-6). But why listen to Nielsen, when FOX will tell you such comfortable lies?

Current TV is so innocuous, every TV provider carries it -- even Comcast. http://current.com/schedule/ After this, I wonder how long it will take Comcast to move it off to some obscure unreachable Hell.

Right now, Current's prime-time programming consists mostly of a show called "Kill It, Cook It, Eat It". Even if only half Olbermann's million viewers follow him to Current, it will obviously transform the station.

Actually, this may have been a rather interesting long game: Buy a TV station, announce it's meant for young people (yawn!), fill it with uber-stupid programming, make it really really cheap for a TV provider to add to their roster, and let it sit unnoticed for a couple years.

Then, when everyone has added your station to their programming and gone back to sleep, turn it into the anti-FOX! Making Olbermann news director is a wonderful idea too -- he discovered and mentored almost every one of msnbc's current evening personalities.

Current TV? First time I ever heard of it. Who carries it as part of a standard cable package? Comcast? Verizon? Will it be like Bill Maher, who is on some exotic cable channel and essentially invisible?

I am happy to be able to watch and listen to K.O. again on TV and if my present cable does not have CURRENT TV, I will make it a priority to obtain this. Not only is Keith a man of great integrity, I sincerely feel that he is a man with a great spirit and he will succeed in life.

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